The Subculture Message in Daniel

The Book of Daniel offers a fascinating perspective of life in a foreign culture. In the first 6 chapters, we see Daniel and his three friends resisting a deliberate attempt to change their identity and culture. Nebuchadnezzar was obviously subject to dramatic mood swings, but there can be no doubt that he was a shrewd and wise ruler. He chose out the finest young men from among the Jewish captives and enrolled them in a three year course of the language and literature of the Chaldeans. He believed that, once they understood the Babylonian culture, they would be great assets to his kingdom.

The drama begins in chapter 1, when Daniel purposes in his heart "that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank..." (1:8)

There are many possible explanations as to why Daniel (and his three friends, as we learn later) took this unexpected stance. John E. Goldingay, in the Word Biblical Commentary on Daniel, lists 7 plausible reasons. Since we are not explicitly told what the reasons were, we obviously cannot know for sure.  It seems to me that Daniel and his friends wanted to do something by way of resistance to the forced "culturization".

Goldingay goes on to say: "The relationship between faith and culture is a question which runs through the O.T. In different contexts, the people of God acknowledge other cultural patterns without being significantly affected by them, or confront other cultural patterns that seem destructive and threatening, or let them influence it, both to its enrichment and to its debasement." (p23)

Like Daniel, we are under great pressure to conform to the accepted standards of society. We are expected to "want it all", to build our lives around image, wealth, popularity and pleasure. Ironically, the call to conform is a call to the individual. Don't worry about anybody else. This is what you should be striving for: success, money, security, fame. You should look good and enjoy every possible thrill that you can get out of life, including lots of sex! You should watch all the latest movies, buy the latest CD's, play the latest computer games. Then you will be cool. People will like you. You will be happy.

Daniel knew where to draw the line. He said in effect: "No thanks, this life you have prepared for me sounds very attractive but I know that, somewhere along the way, it will mean betraying my faith, my God. I'll have to sell out and I won't do that!" When the prevailing culture said "Bow down to this image!" Daniel and his friends said "No!" When it said "You are not to pray to anyone except the King", Daniel chose to disobey.

There is a tension between fitting in with the prevailing culture and wholeheartedly accepting it. As Christians, we must accept that we are different. This world is not our home. We belong to a different kingdom and the only reason we are here is to reach other people with God's love. Because Daniel resisted the enculturation process, he was able to remain pure and his life became a magnificent testimony to the Lord.